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media Anyone have issues w/ peat pots NOT disintegrating?

austin87

austin87

I've been wondering all season why my Home Depot tabasco plant has been growing way more slowly (hardly at all) compared to my other plants that I grew from seed. I potted in ProMix w/ some compost from the recycling center, and followed the instructions to just plant the whole pot (with the plastic wrapping removed) into the soil, then topped with mulch to conserve water.
 
Fastforward several months, the top of the soil looks a little compacted from several waterings throughout the season, so I break up the top layer and to my dismay, find a fully intact peat pot. No wonder the tabasco plant was such a little b*&#^.
 
Obviously going forward I'll rip the little bastard off (I didn't do that because I didn't want to damage the roots) - but has anyone else had this problem?
 
i have seen it where the outer netting is still there but the roots grew right threw them.  I can not imagine that thin thing holding roots back.  Have seen tree roots bust up concrete.
 
When I start seeds in peat pellets I always remove the netting prior to transplanting the seedlings.  Likewise when I've used peat pots (3-5") I have always removed the bottoms of the pots prior to plant out in the garden.  In my experience the netting is less problematic, but both can/will impede growth to a certain extent if not removed prior to plant out.  Note:  I don't take the whole peat pot off, rather I just remove the bottom and have had good results.  Consider it a good lesson for next year.  :)
 
     I used to have problems with those things every time I used them. I think there are two issues with them. One, (as you said) they don't break down. Second, leaving them on ensures that you don't break up the root ball at transplant, thereby encouraging roots to keep growing in circles and not venture outwards. 
     In theory, they seem like a great idea. But in practice, plastic pots do everything peat or coir pots do, but way better.
 
I picked up some plants a few years ago that were in peat pots (and for anyone confused, we're not talking peat pellets like Jiffy here.) I was skeptical and ripped the bottoms out but left the upper part of the sides in place. (Part of the sides went as I ripped off the bottoms, too.) This was right after I had the front bed ripped out then redone, so there was some settling that occurred. The upper rims of the pots became exposed. They got regularly soaked every time I watered the bed, but they were hard as rock. I tried to rip them off, but gave up, not wanting to disturb the plants too much. So yes, I've had similar experiences with peat pots. At the same time, it is true that roots can dig through some pretty tough stuff, but I suspect the overall size of the plant is a likely determiner in that - it's easy to see where a tree breaks up concrete, for example, in pretty quick order. But while grass will push concrete sidewalk slabs around, it's not real common to see that break the concrete up. (Not saying it can't happen, just I haven't seen it.) Regardless, I would hope the people who sell plants in peat pots would know if a particular plant is likely to get root bound or push through the pot. 
 
I ALWAYS remove peat pots!  After I cut them off I have even thrown them in the dirt holes or containers and when I dug them up after the plants were done, they still would not have dissolved into the soil!  I truly think (at least in my experience) that they hold back good root and plant growth.
 
Good to know, thanks for the input. I plan to do most (if not all) of my future pepper growing from seed but may see something fun at a nursery or Home Depot and will definitely remove those things going forward.
 
I add them to the compost bin. They disintegrate just fine in there. :)

Now, rarely do I ever buy started plants, but when I do, yes, they come off every time.
 
I tried those peat pellets, the one plant I didnt remove from the pellet took forever to grow, finally when I suspect the roots grew out of the pellet it shot up to near the size of all the others which were removed from the pellets... I wont use the peat pellet things again.
 
Pepper_Peat_Pot_Pic_Roots_zpsgjirplin.png

 
 
As the lone voice in the wilderness I post the above not as proof but the fact pepper roots can grow through wet Jiffy peat pots. My experience has been the peat pots do not disintegrate during the first season so when I transplant cut the pot 5-6 times from top to bottom and plant deeply so the top edge does not become exposed and dry out.

Again, not as proof, but my experience last season with a Bonnie Hab plant treated this way.....

 
 
IMG_0768_zps4j611jvr.jpg
 
You know, it probably depends on the maker. Several of us seem to have had widely differing experiences. 
 
Has anyone tried the CowPots ?? ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cow-Pots-3-inch-Square-Natural-Manure-Pots-Biodegradable-Peat-Pack-of-12/381422330426?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D37108%26meid%3D3aed3340ff5b4368a5748c793c37684b%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D141788882328 )
 
They are made from composted cow manure solids remaining after burning off the methane gas in a Methane digester - figure they should break down well and also add a bit of nutrients for the plants.
 
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